2026-2027

Directors and Leadership Team

Lucy Mason

Co-Director - Columbia ‘27

Lucy grew up in New York City, training pre-professionally at the School of American Ballet (SAB). While there, she performed children’s roles in New York City Ballet’s productions of Circus Polka and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. In 2019, she enrolled in St. Paul’s School (NH), where she was a member of the St. Paul’s School Ballet Company until graduating. During her summers, Lucy attended intensives at Belvoir Terrace, Manhattan Youth Ballet, Ballet Academy East, and Kaatsbaan. She is currently a senior in Columbia College, double majoring in English and American Studies.

Danielle Zuccaro

Co-Director - Columbia ‘27

Danielle is a Columbia College ‘27 student studying concentrations in biology and economics on the premed track. She grew up in New Hartford, New York, and trained at Ondrea’s Centerstage Dance Studio in contemporary, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap. She began competing at age six and continued throughout senior year of high school. She was an assistant for REVEL Dance Convention, and taught various classes for her home studio. She had the opportunity to participate in the Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Summer Program for two years and the Trisha Brown Summer Intensive. At Columbia, she is a member of Columbia Ballet Collaborative and RAW Elementz in addition to Columbia Repertory Ballet. 

Keira Gutierrez

Director of Finance - Columbia ‘28

Keira began her dance training in Washington D.C. at the Kirov Academy of Ballet and the Washington School of Ballet (TWSB), eventually joining TWSB’s pre-professional program. She was later invited to train at Miami City Ballet School where she remained throughout COVID before returning to TWSB. Keira completed her final year of high school training privately with Lilla Seber and Emily Hashiguchi. She has attended intensive programs at the Royal Ballet School, English National Ballet School, John Cranko Schule, Ellison Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and School of American Ballet. Keira is currently a junior at Columbia College majoring in Applied Mathematics and Comparative Literature.

Andrew Fleischner

Fundraising Chair - Columbia ‘28

Born in Los Angeles, CA, and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Andrew attended Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School. He furthered his dance training as a member of the St. Paul’s School (NH) Ballet Company under the leadership of Kate Lydon. In 2022, he competed in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and received a full scholarship at the Tampa Finals to study at the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, led by Peter Stark. In March 2023, Andrew joined Los Angeles Ballet under Melissa Barak for their spring production of Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias. He went on to dance the full following 2023-24 season with Los Angeles Ballet, before starting at Columbia in fall 2024. His repertoire includes the US premiere of Hans van Manen’s Frank Bridge Variations, Yuri Possokhov’s Firebird, Thoral Christensen and Colleen Neary’s The Nutcracker, and more. Andrew is excited to pursue his academic studies at Columbia while being surrounded by the incredible dance experiences New York City has to offer.


Emily Choi

Assistant Director - Columbia ‘28

Emily began dancing at Universal Ballet Academy in Seoul and continued training at the Petrov Ballet School in 2015 under the guidance of Eugene Petrov, Kara Bruzina, and Margo Sappington. There, Emily’s repertoire includes La Bayadere, Gypsy Suite, The Nutcracker, Tarantella, Russian Dervish, as well as contemporary works. She competed at Youth America Grand Prix in 2021, 2022, and 2023 and placed in the senior classical division. In the summer of 2023, she participated in American Ballet Theater’s Collegiate Program where she performed Coppelia under Sarah Smith. Emily is now a junior at Columbia College studying Biology and Dance on the pre-med track.  

Grace Li

Leadership Team - Columbia ‘28

Originally from San Diego, California, Grace received her training at North County Academy of Dance, where she performed lead roles in The Nutcracker, La Bayadère, and Alice in Wonderland. She has attended summer intensives at the John Cranko Schule, Académie Princesse Grace, Royal Ballet School, Paris Opera Ballet School, and Dutch National Ballet Academy. Following numerous top placements at regional competitions, Grace competed as a soloist at YAGP Finals and was a Top 25 soloist and multi-time gala performer at ADCIBC Finals. In 2023, Grace was named a YoungArts Winner in Contemporary/Modern Dance and joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, where she performed in George Balanchine’s Serenade and Terrence Orr’s The Nutcracker. Since coming to Columbia, she has continued dancing with Columbia Repertory Ballet, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, CoLab Performing Arts Collective, and Columbia University Ballet Ensemble. Grace is currently pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics with a minor in Dance, and is so excited to be a part of CRB’s Leadership Team!

Bella Pableo

Leadership Team - Columbia ‘29

Born and raised in West Covina, California, Bella began her dance journey at Inland Pacific Ballet Academy, training in classical ballet, contemporary, modern, and musical theater. Her training has consisted of various ballet and contemporary summer programs in both the U.S. and Europe. Bella is passionate about making dance more accessible, which has led her to teaching dance to local elementary students and at youth centers in LA. A sophomore at Columbia College, she is studying English and Dance. Bella is honored to be a part of the CRB leadership team this year!

Mika Nuzum

Leadership Team - Columbia ‘29

Mika trained at Greenwich Ballet Academy under Olga Gershanok, Adrienne Schulte, and Cody Berkeley, building fourteen years of experience in classical ballet, contemporary, and character dance. She performed principal and soloist roles in productions including The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote, competed at YAGP and UBC with top placements in both classical and contemporary, and earned a scholarship to Ballet Hispánico’s ChoreoLab. She has also trained at Boston Ballet and Kirov Ballet Academy summer intensives and was inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. Deeply committed to inclusive dance, Mika spent four years teaching ballet to children and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities, volunteered at a local elementary school, and taught dance to students in Raja Ampat, Indonesia during a marine conservation trip. At Columbia, she danced with Columbia Repertory Ballet and Columbia Ballet Collaborative and is thrilled to join CRB leadership as a sophomore studying Cognitive Science with a minor in English.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Angela Yuan

Leadership Team - Columbia ‘29

Angela Yuan began her dance training at N&D Ballet, where she trained extensively in classical ballet and contemporary dance. Over her eleven years of training, Angela competed nationally and internationally, earning 1st place at Youth America Grand Prix and 3rd place at Universal Ballet Competition. During the summers, she received scholarships to the Rock School of Dance Education, Houston Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and DuCon. Angela is currently a sophomore in Columbia College studying Applied Math and Computer Science.

Claire Buchi

Leadership Team - Columbia ‘29

Claire Buchi grew up in Manhattan Beach, California and moved to San Francisco at sixteen to attend San Francisco Ballet School. While training, she was selected to perform with the San Francisco Ballet corps in Helgi Tomasson’s Giselle and The Nutcracker and graduated in 2023 under the direction of Patrick Armand. She went on to spend two seasons with Atlanta Ballet 2, performing featured roles with both the second and main companies in ballets such as Bruce Wells’s Swan Princess (Odette) and Mark Morris’s Sandpaper Ballet. Her repertoire also includes works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon), Yuri Possokhov (The Nutcracker), and George Balanchine (Valse Fantasie, soloist). While in Atlanta, Buchi also choreographed multiple works for the second company, including Rosetta and Flashing Lights (co-choreographed with Emanuel Talongo). She is currently a sophomore in Columbia College, where she studies medical humanities and public health. After a fulfilling year performing with Columbia Repertory Ballet, she’s excited to step behind the scenes as a first-year board member!

Caitlyn Muniz

Leadership Team - Columbia ‘29

Caitlyn Muniz was raised in Gloucester Massachusetts where she started dancing at the age of five. She then trained with Boston Ballet School’s Professional Division as a Pao Scholar under direction of Miranda Weese. While dancing at Boston Ballet, Caitlyn participated in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker as Clara, and also performed alongside her classmates in ballets such as Serenade, Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, and others. Caitlyn then accepted a position at Ballet Austin as Butler Fellow, where she received training alongside the company. Over the summers, Caitlyn has also trained at American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Austin, Boston Ballet, and Joffrey Ballet, before continuing her dance journey at Columbia University. Caitlyn is now a sophomore in Columbia College and is thrilled to be part of CRB leadership. 

 Advisory Board

Maria Sol Blankemeyer

Advisor, Former Co-Director ‘21-‘22 - Barnard ‘23

Maria Blankemeyer was born in Monterrey, Mexico, where she began her ballet training at the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey. Upon immigrating to the United States in 2011, she continued her training at Ballet Austin and attended summer intensives at Ellison Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre. Maria is currently a junior at Barnard studying chemistry.

 

Maki Ishibashi

Advisor, Former Co-Director ‘21-‘22 - Columbia ‘23

Maki Ishibashi was born in Tokyo, Japan where she began ballet recreationally at the age of three. Upon moving to the United States in 2007, she joined the CityDance School and Conservatory in Rockville, Maryland where she continued her ballet and contemporary training. She has spent her summers at both ballet and contemporary intensives, such as Boston Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Juilliard School of Dance. She is currently a junior at Columbia College majoring in biology and on the pre-med track. She has performed with two student run companies - Columbia Repertory Ballet and Columbia Ballet Collaborative.

  • Annie Lewandowski

    FORMER CO-DIRECTOR (‘22)

    Annie Lewandowski is a senior at Columbia College studying Russian and following the Pre-Med track. She has been dancing ballet for most of her life, training at the Ohio Conservatory of Ballet and dancing with the Stabrova Youth Ballet. She has participated in the Bolshoi Ballet’s summer programs in both New York and Russia, and has danced with Columbia Ballet Collaborative and the Columbia Repertory Ballet during her first two years at Columbia.

  • Sandy Zeng

    FORMER CO-DIRECTOR (‘21)

  • Paige Hinkley

    FORMER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (‘21)